# America's cattle herd hits smallest level since 1950s, pushing beef prices to record highs - Los Angeles Times

> A Los Angeles Times article reported the US cattle herd has shrunk to its smallest level since the early 1950s, pushing beef prices to record highs. Droughts and higher production costs, including elevated interest rates, are cited as causes.

- Date: 2026-02-17 · published 2026-02-17T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: report · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/20727-america-s-cattle-herd-hits-smallest-level-since-1950s-pushing-beef-prices-to
- Commodities: [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md), [Feeder Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/FCATTLE.md)

## Why it matters

A historically small herd keeps beef and cattle prices elevated, with drought and borrowing costs limiting producer rebuilding.

## Read by commodity

- FCATTLE: bullish ▲
- LCATTLE: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LCATTLE | 2023-01-31 | [U.S. beef cow herd falls to lowest level since 1962, USDA says](https://feedsoft.ai/events/37722-u-s-beef-cow-herd-falls-to-lowest-level-since-1962-usda-says.md) | +1.6% | +4.7% |
| LCATTLE | 2022-08-09 | [Shrinking U.S. cattle herd signals more pain from high beef prices](https://feedsoft.ai/events/39969-shrinking-u-s-cattle-herd-signals-more-pain-from-high-beef-prices.md) | +1.8% | +3.0% |
| LCATTLE | 2023-05-22 | [USDA foresees Less Beef Production and Higher Cattle Prices Cattle Range](https://feedsoft.ai/events/4498-usda-foresees-less-beef-production-and-higher-cattle-prices-cattle-range.md) | +0.8% | +8.0% |
| LCATTLE | 2023-02-23 | [Smaller Cattle Herd, but Stronger Live Cattle Prices Forecast for 2023](https://feedsoft.ai/events/37272-smaller-cattle-herd-but-stronger-live-cattle-prices-forecast-for-2023.md) | +0.9% | +0.1% |
| LCATTLE | 2026-03-04 | [America's cattle herd drops to a 75-year low](https://feedsoft.ai/events/20118-america-s-cattle-herd-drops-to-a-75-year-low.md) | -0.9% | +0.4% |
| FCATTLE | 2023-01-31 | [U.S. beef cow herd falls to lowest level since 1962, USDA says](https://feedsoft.ai/events/37722-u-s-beef-cow-herd-falls-to-lowest-level-since-1962-usda-says.md) | +2.1% | +3.2% |
| FCATTLE | 2022-08-09 | [Shrinking U.S. cattle herd signals more pain from high beef prices](https://feedsoft.ai/events/39969-shrinking-u-s-cattle-herd-signals-more-pain-from-high-beef-prices.md) | -0.7% | +1.6% |
| FCATTLE | 2023-05-22 | [USDA foresees Less Beef Production and Higher Cattle Prices Cattle Range](https://feedsoft.ai/events/4498-usda-foresees-less-beef-production-and-higher-cattle-prices-cattle-range.md) | +13.4% | +12.5% |

## Sources

- latimes.com: https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2026-02-17/americas-cattle-herd-hits-smallest-level-since-1950s-pushing-beef-prices-to-record-highs

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.